ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation presents the design of a dual-polarized Dense Dipole Array,
or “DDA”, as a candidate element for the SKA Mid-Frequency Aperture Array. The design consists of tightly coupled dipole elements above a ground plane and is fed differentially through a specially designed commonmode suppressing feed.
Apart from the DDA, there are currently three design concepts under evaluation for the SKA Mid-Frequency aperture array as part of the SKA
Advanced Instrumentation Program. The strength of the DDA is that it is a planar structure consisting only of a ground plane and an array element layer in addition to the feed structure, while the other geometries are either
three layer or three dimensional structures, all of which complicates mass production of the array tiles.
The design is an implementation of Wheeler’s current sheet array and based on work by Munk, where a combination of the capacitances between the tips of neighbouring elements and the close proximity of the elements to one another are exploited in order to increase the overall bandwidth of the array.
In the first part of the dissertation, the design is restricted to the singlepolarized case and an extensive parameter study is done in order to gain a better understanding of the physics involved. The single-polarized design is then optimised using a commercial genetic algorithm optimiser and simulation results are obtained that indicate that a bandwidth of 3.8:1 is achievable with good impedance behaviour with scan angle. A scan loss of < 5 dB across all in-band frequencies was also demonstrated.
The second part of the dissertation expands the single-polarized design to a dual-polarized design. Although difficulties were encountered with the optimisation of the dual-polarized design resulting in a perceived performance penalty from that of the single-polarized case, it is anticipated that performance similar to that of the single-polarized case will be achievable should an optimal design be identified. It has, however, been shown that the stability of the impedance with scan angle as well as the scan loss is still comparable to that of other MFAA front-end concepts.
The third part of the dissertation presents a design of an antenna feed that suppresses common-mode resonances commonly encountered in connected
antenna arrays. The design makes use of symmetrical wideband microstrip-slotline transitions to cancel out common-mode signals, while differential-mode signals will still propagate through. The design is verified
using both simulations and measurements of a manufactured prototype. A wide bandwidth and a CMRR > 30 dB is achieved that exceeds the design
specifications set out.
Lastly, both the single-polarized as well as the dual-polarized designs are verified using manufactured prototypes. A major contribution of this dissertation is the manufacturing of a 1 m2 dual-polarized DDA prototype.
The relatively flat embedded element pattern and good cross-polarization characteristics demonstrated with the large prototype is a crucial performance characteristic in in achieving cost-effective digital beam-forming.